Tettenhall Operatic Company’s Festival Fayre

It was with great pleasure to be invited to attend Tettenhall Operatic Company’s Festival Fayre this year after a long absence due to the pandemic restrictions. The afternoon’s entertainment began with a warm welcome to the audience, who were seated in groups at tables, by Julian who promised an interesting programme of Christmas music. It was, indeed, a lovely selection, and if the aim was to put one in the “Christmas mood,” this was certainly achieved.

Under the sharp attention from musical director, Peter Smith, we were treated to a couple of hours of listening to quality arrangements of Christmas songs, some traditional, sung in perfect harmony by the chorus.

This was a varied programme which included in the first half, readings of, “A Christmas Tale” and “The Barn.” They were delivered effectively by Vi, who held everyone’s attention with her expressive projection with great gestures and entertaining voice intonation. This was followed by Stephen, who sang, “If I but had a little coat.” Other soloists included Neve who sang, “O Holy Night,” reaching some very high notes and delivering with clarity.

Tettenhall Operatic Company are rightfully proud of their Performance Bursary Scheme awarded to talented musicians and singers aged 16-30. Lydia Goodall, former student at Birmingham Conservatoire, is one of those who have benefitted from such support. Lydia delighted the audience with a strong, vocal performance of “Vanilla Ice Cream.” Her voice was a delight to listen to, crystal clear expressive tones and attaining high notes with ease.

There is nothing quite like a concert to really show how powerful music can be. This is a company with gifted members, strong voices with the versatility to both rouse the audience but also prompt close listening and reflection using choice lyrics, melodies and tunes with an upbeat selected from a wide source of materials from the world.

In the second half of the concert, we were treated to an item, “To keep my love alive,” a sprightly delivery by Julian and Jane, which was presented in an old music hall style and offered light humour about a woman’s drastic actions in her various marriages.

Christina’s “Christmas Lullaby” was like the voice of an angel, and it was worthy of the rapturous applause it received as was Sheila’s “Advent Carol” so controlled. Sheila has a beautiful voice, a unique clear sound, that is such a pleasure to hear. A trio worked well together in singing, quite perfectly, “Mary did you know?” which left my skin tingling. The ladies chorus offered a balanced blend of individual voices when they sang, “No Room,” it was compelling to listen to.

One of the most remarkable highlights of the programme was a performance by the very gifted accompanist, Petra Milarova. She played Brahms’s “Intermezzo,” which was a piece played by Petra with dramatic crescendos and melody that mesmerised the audience, who demonstrated their awe and wonder with loud applause, so well deserved!

This was a well-coordinated, uplifting afternoon of performances by individuals and ensembles, where the vocal capabilities of the choir were demonstrated. No time was lost as one item in the programme went on to the next. This was supported by Julian’s brief introductions to pieces and his easy banter with the audience.

The audience was appreciative of the concert but also of the homemade cake too, served during the interval, which added to the enjoyment.

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